. On the 1st Sunday of every month pagans, people with open minds and free thinkers gather in and around Avebury, Wiltshire.

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This Month's Moot - is in the Red Lion for 4pm!

Sunday, 1 February 2009

Pranayama - Moot - 4th January 2009

After a brief stop for the Yule festivities the Avebury Moot was delighted to welcome back Vickie. Vickie, an experienced and diversely learned Yoga Teacher, came to give us a talk on the Yogic breathing work of Pranayama.

Vickie explained the importance of breathing and how the concentrated techniques can enhance health.

Yoga breathing, or Pranayama, is the science of breath control. It consists of series of exercises especially intended to meet the body's needs and keep it in vibrant health. Pranayama comes from the following words:

Prana - "life force" or "life energy"Yama - "discipline" or "control"Ayama - "expansion", "non-restraint", or "extension" Thus, Pranayama means "breathing techniques" or "breath control". Ideally, this practice of opening up the inner life force is not merely to take healthy deep breaths. It is intended for yoga practitioners to help and prepare them in their Meditation process.

In our respiration process, we breathe in or inhale oxygen into our body, going through our body systems in a form of energy to charge our different body parts. Then we exhale carbon dioxide and take away all toxic wastes from our body. Through the practice of Pranayama, the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide is attained. Absorbing prana through breath control links our body, mind, and spirit.

Because of the daily work, family, or financial pressures, we tend to ignore our breathing. Thus, it tends to be fast and shallow. The use of only a fraction of your lungs results to lack of oxygen and may lead to different complications. Heart diseases, sleep disorders, and fatigue are some of the effects of oxygen starvation. Therefore, the negative energy of being restless and troublesome leads to lesser prana inside the body. By practicing deep and systematic breathing through Pranayama, we reenergize our body.